Rumour has it
by TheDarkLord'sMistress
Summary: A rumour spreads around Hogwarts School and leads to some unforeseen consequences.
1. Chapter 1

_Notes: Written for WeasleySeeker's 'The Rumours Competition'_

It was maybe an hour or two since the first whispers had arisen, but already every corridor and classroom was alight with the newest, shocking rumour.

"The Black girl? The middle one?"

"Andromeda. I hear she's seeing Ted Tonks."  
"The Hufflepuff?"  
"The _Muggle-born_!"

"No way! I mean, a Black and a mudblood? A _Black_?"

"Oh, don't you just want to be there when Bellatrix finds out?"

"It can't be true, can it?"  
"A _Black _a mudwallower? Are you hearing what you're saying?"

"Well, they work together in Potions..."

"There's no smoke without fire!"  
"Personally, I think it would be brilliant. The Blacks are so stuck up, serves them right!"

"I heard that they were seen snogging behind the greenhouses."

By dinner time, everyone knew that Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks were an item.  
Everyone, that is, except Ted and Andromeda.

_..._

_If you want to see Ted and Andromeda in Potions, why don't you go check out my HP Oneshot Collection? *cough* shameless selfplug *cough* ;)_


	2. Chapter 2

Andromeda looked up from her steak and kidney pie, feeling as though she was being watched.

Scowling, she caught the eye of a Ravenclaw second year who blushed and hurriedly turned to whisper to her friend.

Dropping her gaze back to her plate, Andromeda sighed heavily, determined not to look up again – every time she did, she found someone staring at her and it was rather unnerving.

Whispers seemed to have been following her around all day and just as all students from other Houses kept staring at her, everyone at the Slytherin table was purposefully avoiding catching her eye.

She wished she knew where on earth Bellatrix had gotten to; she, at least, would have no qualms about telling her whatever was going on here, no matter how unpleasant.

Narcissa had thrown her only a quick, almost scared glance and then shoveled down her food at a surprising pace and fled from the Great Hall.

Finally Violetta Burke, her best friend, entered the room, throwing the staring students dirty looks and plopping down next to Andromeda."I can't believe anyone actually thinks it's true!"

She sounded utterly disgusted and Andromeda's stomach clenched with worry.

"That what is true?"she asked, certain that she was about to find out why everyone was treating her so strangely and almost as sure that she probably did not want to know.

"You haven't heard?"her friend gasped, then frowning."But of course, who would want to be the one to confront you about this?"

"About what?"the Black girl demanded, growing impatient.

Sighing heavily and looking very uneasy, Violetta told her.

"WHAT?"screamed Andromeda, all heads swirling around to her now.

Slughorn gave her a reproachful look from the teachers' table, clearly unhappy to have one of his students cause a scene.

Blushing furiously and shaking with rage, Andromeda gathered her things and stormed from the Great Hall.


	3. Chapter 3

Ted watched Andromeda leave from his seat at the Hufflepuff table.

"Guess she heard, too,"he said to his friends who had just filled him in on the rumour surrounding himself and the clearly upset Slytherin."Look at her, it's like I'm a flubberworm or something. Should I be offended at how offended she is?"

He grinned and his housemates laughed, quickly dropping the subject and talking about other things instead.

The scandal was only in regards to Andromeda Black, no one took much notice of Ted, even though he was as involved in this new rumour as she was.

He was just less interesting, he supposed, and it didn't much bother him.

What did, however, bother him quite a lot was Andromeda's reaction.

The had gotten along extremly well in Potions and he couln't deny that he had fancied her for a while.

She had been considerably warming up towards him over the last few weeks and he had started to think that he might even ask her to accompany him to Hogsmead soon – as friends, he would have told her, and seen from there if there could ever be more.

Now, he thought as he picked at his food disgruntled, it seemed that the chance was lost.

But was it really?

Maybe she was just upset at how everyone reacted?

Maybe even because she _did _actually like him and just didn't want anyone to know?

He would never know if he didn't ask her...

He took a deep breath and decided to follow her.


	4. Chapter 4

Andromeda walked straight passed the corridor leading towards the Slytherin common room, instead storming out into the grounds.

She certainly was in no mood to face any of her housemates, least of all Narcissa.

The thought of her baby sister did nothing to improve her surliness.

How could Cissy even consider believing such a thing?

Her own sister!

It was disgraceful!

She would never, ever date a Muggle-born.

Granted, Ted was nice enough and she found herself looking forward to the Potions lessons they had together, but that didn't mean anything.

She had not once considered him as.. as anything, really.

Maybe a friend, at most.

And, well, he might be kind of handsome, if she was totally honest.

But that did _not _mean she liked him.

No, certainly not.

She was a Black, and Blacks did not like Muggle-borns.

_Nor do they take Muggle Studies_, a little voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like her Aunt Walburga pointed out._Or refer to Mudbloods as Muggle-born. Or think you should marry for love._

Sighing, Andromeda dropped her book bag and plopped down under a tree near the lake.

So she might not be the perfect Black, but that didn't mean she had to be a blood traitor.

Dating a Muggle-born was out of the question, absolutely ridiculous.

Even if he was handsome.

And sweet.

And always managed to make her laugh.

She felt herself blush at the unwelcome track her thoughts were taking.

This rumour was really getting to her; she had never thought about Ted in such a way before.

He had been just Tonks, Hufflepuff and Muggle-born with a knack for potions.

And now he was turning into Ted, beau with an amazing sense of humour.

Not to mention that he was forbidden fruit and no matter how sensible Andromeda was, she was still a teenage girl.

Shaking her head at herself, the Slytherin got up to find out who had started this rumour and curse them into oblivion.

Instead, she found herself almost walking into Ted as soon as she had taken a few steps."Oh. Hey."

"Hey,"he repeated, a sheepish grin on his face."I was wondering... D'you wanna go out with me some time?"


	5. Chapter 5

Andromeda just stared at him for so long that Ted started to wonder whether she maybe was hoping that he would start laughing and tell her he had been joking.

Finally, she she pulled out of her stupor enough to manage a jerky reply."What - do I – what?"

He almost laughed at her expression – the usually so calm and collected Andromeda Black looking as though she had seen a ghost – well, not literally, of course, as ghosts were pretty mundane here, but a figure of speech is a figure of speech.

"Would you like to go out with me?"Ted repeated, smiling mildly."You know, a date."

Andromeda bit her lip, considering his question.

She couldn't actually go on a date with a Muggle-born, could she?

Then again, did she really want her life dominated by her family's believes forever?

Of course not, but that didn't mean she should go looking to make life unnecessarily hard for herself.

And dating a Muggle-born without really, _really _wanting to certainly classified as making things difficult for no good reason.

"I don't think that would be a good idea, sorry,"she said, avoidong catching his eye and walking away.

Instead of this ending the encounter, Ted walked along beside her, still smiling for some reason."I disagree. It's a great idea. But that's not the question, is it? The question is whether you want to or not. You didn't say."

He cast her an expectant look but she only frowned and looked away again, speeding up her steps.

"It wouldn't change anything, you know,"he said, taking her silence as a cue to keep talking."Everyone already thinks we're dating anyways."

This made her stop dead in her tracks."You're right."

She met his gaze at last, now also smiling."Okay. I'll go out with you."


	6. Chapter 6

Rita Skeeter was just turning into an empty corridor when suddenly someone stepped out from behind a statue."You started that thing about my sister and the mudblood, didn't you?"

The Ravenclaw shrugged and grinned, continuing along the corridor with Bellatrix."Yeah. I had to."

"Had to?"Bellatrix repeated, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Oh, yes, absolutely no choice, dear,"said Rita, giving the other girl a crooked smile."You know that Bertha Jorkins kid? Annoying little firstie?"

"Horrible gossip? Doesn't know when to keep her mout shut?"asked the Slytherin."Knows more people's secrets than can turn out well for her?"

The blonde chuckled."That's the one. Anyway, seems she saw us behind the greenhouses and I had to get a more shocking rumour out there before she opened her big mouth."

"Hm, makes sense, I guess,"replied Bellatrix with a shrug."I see why you made up that rumour. The only thing more shocking than a gay Black is a mudwallowing Black. Bummer for Dromeda, though."

Then she grinned."Still, better her than us, Ri."


End file.
